HACKER: A Tech Specialist has Advantage on rolls when dealing with computers, navigating cyberspace, or hacking including when “jacked in” to cyberspace. Also, once per hour, while in combat when “jacked in” to combat in cyberspace, a Tech Specialist can regain 1d6 lost HP. Must have a Computer Brain Cyberware for this ability.

REPAIR: A Tech Specialist knows how to repair all sorts of technological devices, including mechs, land vehicles, and starships. The cost to repair such devices is reduced by half when overseen/performed by a Tech Specialist (i.e a starship costs 20 credits to repair 5 HP. This would cost 10 credits for a Tech Specialist).

PUNCH IT: Sometimes a system in a ship goes down, an android is severely damaged, or a computer shorts out. Once per situation (or combat), a Tech Specialist can whack the malfunctioning hardware with a hammer and get it working again. Mechanically this means the system regains 1d4 HP back and sputters along until it can be fixed properly.

TINKER: See info on page XX.

Leveling Up:

Roll all Attributes to see if they increase, roll twice for STR or INT

TINKER: Three times per session a Tech Specialist can use the items at hand to create one of the following listed below if they successfully pass an INT test (or the GM can simply rule that they always succeed). Creating an item takes 3d6 minutes.

TINKERING DEVICES

Personal Shield: An energy field surrounds the wearer, absorbing 10 points of damage before shorting out and becoming useless.

Phase Shield: This device allows the wearer to pass through a single wall before being rendered useless.

Stealth Armor: The target takes on a chameleon-like appearance. Stealth checks are made with Advantage while targets attempting to locate the wearer are made with Disadvantage. This lasts for 1 hour before shorting out and becoming useless.

Field Meds: When a Medstim isn’t handy a Tech Specialist is able to create a simple one in a pinch, healing 1d6 HP.

Communicator: The Tech Specialist can cobble together a makeshift communicator that allows them to get a quick message out to a target within a 1 mile radius before shorting out. The communicator is not sophisticated or secure. Anyone can pick up on the transmission if they are tuned to the right channel.

Flashbang: The Tech Specialist creates a dirty grenade that explodes, releasing a blinding flash of bright light. Targets are blinded for 1d3 rounds and all actions are made with Disadvantage.

Enhance Laser Weapon: The Tech Specialist can enhance a laser weapon, doubling its damage. After each attack, make a Luck roll, if the result does not favor the shooter, the weapon shorts out and is useless and must be repaired.

Makeshift Blaster Pistol: The Tech Specialist can piece together a makeshift laser weapon from pieces lying around. The weapon functions like a blaster pistol and has a d4 Usage Die. Once the Usage Die is consumed, the energy is drained from the battery pack and the item is useless.

Taser: The Tech Specialist can piece together a makeshift weapon that gives off an electrical discharge. The target hit by this is stunned for 1d3 rounds. Once this is used the device is ruined.

Android Repair Kit: The Tech Specialist can piece together the items necessary to repair the damage to an android. After spending 1d4 rounds working on the robot regains 1d6 HP.

Jitters: The Tech Specialist creates a concoction of chemicals (none of them good for a body). When consumed, the target gains an extra full action per round for 10 rounds. Afterwards the target must succeed a CON save. If the target fails, they fall unconscious for 2d3 hours. A successful target makes all rolls with Disadvantage until they rest for 1d3 hours.

EMP Pulse: The Tech Specialist can create an electronic device that gives of a single strong EMP blast that shorts out all electronics and computers (including androids) in a Nearby radius. The GM may rule that advanced computers or androids have hardware that protect them from such an attack and are immune.

Cutting Torch: The Tech Specialist can create a torch that can cut through metal up to 1ft thick. The flame lasts for 10 minutes before becoming useless.

This has been a grand weekend! I got to go cross country skiing for the first time in two years (I couldn’t go last season due to wrist surgery- insert your choice of “spanking it” jokes here)! I also saw that Hubris: A World of Visceral Adventure went silver on Drivethru RPG and even BETTER Jeff Rients posted an awesome review of Hubris on his blog! I have long respected Jeff’s work on his blog and his standing in the OSR community, so having him enjoy my book is very humbling and exciting!

Here are a few clips of the review:

Hubris: A World of Visceral Adventure is a 350 page campaign setting from Mike Evans. When I first opened the PDF file I hesitated for a moment, because I’ve reached a point in my life where a two or three hundred page infodump does not meet my needs as a referee. Fortunately, Mike understands this problem and offers a solution to it. But I’ll get to that in a bit.

and:

My favorite parts of the book require no real changes whatsoever, while much of the rest can be adapted with just a little tinkering.

and:

As I paged through Hubris I got a very specific vibe from it. That vibe is playing D&D inside the World of Heavy Metal Album Covers. Eddie from Iron Maiden would fit into the world of Hubris, as would lycanthropic Ozzy barking at the moon. Korgoth of Barbaria would probably do well for himself in this setting.

and:

One way Hubris communicates how this world differs from others is by offering a bunch of new options for PCs. I highly approve this method because new stuff enters play organically, rather than being pooped out in boxed text the DM has to read aloud.

and finally:

The real meat of this book is chapter 3, called “Territories of Hubris”. In about a hundred pages ten regions of the world are detailed. The format here makes all the difference. Instead of an encyclopedia entry, we get the following format for each locale:

A few short paragraphs giving the basics of the region.

A d100 “Lay of the Land” chart providing thumbnail sketches of locations in the region.

A d100 encounter chart for the region

One or more brief write-ups for special locations, with rumors/adventure hooks

Some extra thing unique to the region, like rules for eating the mushrooms of the Bogwood Swamp

The trick here is that, taken together, this stuff is suggestive rather than comprehensive in nature. Pick a region (or roll d10), throw percentile dice a couple of times, and select an adventure hook. The result isn’t a complete adventure but it is sufficient to launch sketching out an evening’s gameplay. You can’t move across this world strategically and explore every nook and cranny, as one could with a numbered hex map style campaign book, but you can easily achieve the effect of the Ace paperback version of Conan the Barbarian, where individual adventures are loosely connected. I’m quite taken with this approach. It makes me rethink what the heck I’m doing with my own campaign setting.

Again, I want to extend a huge thanks to everyone who has reached out prior to and after the Hubris release to express their interest and appreciation of the book! It’s been a very awesome and kick ass experience!

I am nearly done with the first draft of the a Hubris adventure. I plan on this being a level 3 adventure, however I’ll need to playtest it to see if the numbers are right. I’ll most likely run some G+ Hangout games after I fine tune the mechanics with my home groups.

Lastly

I am expecting the proofs of the softcover version of Hubris to arrive at my house any day now! If they look good and I’m Jake with them, they’ll be up for sale on Drivethru/RPGNow very soon. The Hardcover formatting took some tweaking and I have submitted it to Drivethru for approval. Once that happens, I’ll request my proofs!

I will soon have DIY rpg shirts for sale in the near future! For those who want to support DIY RPG Productions, but don’t want a huge middle finger on your chest, I have created a “PC” friendly logo! The shirts will be coming soon.

On Tuesday I kicked off my Hubris campaign with my players in Rochester, NY. I was really excited to start this campaign since A) I just released the book; and B) I haven’t run Hubris in two years since I playtested the mechanics as I was writing out the book.

When I was pondering where to kick off this campaign, I decided I wanted to start it in a territory that none of my original groups went to (they both spent most of their time in the Great Plains of Unbidden Sorrow or Frozen Wastes), so I decided on the Canyons of the Howling Red Rock.

Players

Angie- Human Druid- level 1

Nate- Avarian Trickster- level 1

Tyler- Mutant (squishy, oddly-shaped body, flamingo legs, and ant colony in his veins that he can release once per day as an attack)- level 1

The session started with the group on a ship, having left the Port of Ustler, off the southern shore of the Northern continent, and sailing across the crimson waters of the Sea That Runs Red towards the Canyons of the Howling Red Rock.

The ship was heading towards Undra, The Great Spire (info on Undra below). The group answered a help wanted ad from a wealthy merchant named Serif to escort him and his goods from Fairweather to the Grand Bazaar. The lure of seeing Undra the Great Spire and the Grand Bazaar, leaving the cold, bitter weather of the northern continent, or even possibly traveling to the Unsettled Expanse and seeking fabulous riches was too good a pull to resist.

The group was on the deck of the ship listening to the captain, ‘Ol Tom, prattle on about his adventuring days, “used to be a fine warrior, that I was! That is until one day, I got my leg chewed off by an inbred mutie! After that I decided the sea was safer. But my woes didn’t end there! Two years on the sea and I lost my left hand to a giant lobster monster! Swallowed it in one gulp! It was then that I realized the gods just hated me, so said fuck it!” He said tapping his peg leg with his hook and taking a few puffs out of his pipe.

The ship halted abruptly in the crimson waters, rocking violently and sending people and goods falling to the floor. Serif lamented loudly as many of his goods crashed on the deck and broke open.

The group looked around at the source of the disturbance when five huge squid tentacles, roughly 15’ tall, burst from the water and started crashing onto the deck of the ship. Riding on these slimy appendages were over a dozen Deep Ones. These disgusting fish creatures lunged off the tentacles and began attacking passengers and sailors. Some netting their victims and jumping overboard and others biting the heads off of their prey.

The tentacles whipped around, smashing into the ship and sent bits of wood and metal flying into the air.

Three Deep Ones lunged at the characters to take them prisoner. Serif shrieked, “protect me!” The PCs rushed in to defend their employer and make some “fish-kababs”!

Aside: As players rolled initiative I told them that for this session ONLY their characters would not die if they fell to zero HP. They would suffer the adverse effects of being “killed”, but their character would continue on. I did this for a few reasons: 1) this was the first time we’ve played together since early June and I didn’t want the first session in six months to be a deathfest for them; 2) none of these players have have tried DCC or Hubris (which is a high octane meat grinder), so I wanted to ease them into this style of game; and 3) as casual gamers, I wanted them to get their feet wet and enjoy the session without that threat of “oh shit- well there went THAT character.” However, next session- it’s a free for all. No holds barred.

Combat Ensues- and People Die and a Ship Goes Down

Combat in this was, as expected, brutal. Angie was, funnily enough, the most effective fighter of the group (which actually I was excited about as when I designed the Hubris druid- I pictured them as the Wendol from 13th Warrior (just not as evil). Angie gutted a Deep One and battled a tentacle, dropping the Deep One before she was killed by a tentacle.

Sammi and Jamie flew into combat, swinging their scythes at tentacles and Deep Ones alike, sadly not hitting much, and Sammi was killed by a tentacle and Jamie was knocked for half his hit points from an attack.

The Mutant Class Engaged in Battle (art by Jeremy Duncan)

While the group fought off the three Deep Ones and five tentacles, the squid’s other three tentacles were attacking the boat, dealing 3d6 damage per round. The goal was simple: if the crew attacked and killed three tentacles before the ship was reduced to zero HP, the ship would be saved and the squid would flee. If not, well… then they’d get a bit wet AND bloody. The ship had 30 HP and a Damage Reduction of 2.

The group killed the three Deep Ones and managed to down two of the five tentacles, but the ship was reduced to zero HP. The PCs had to made Reflex saves to avoid getting battered around by the collapsing ship as they plunged into the frigid crimson waters.

Jamie spotted a life boat and the group made their way there, with Tyler swimming out to collect Angie’s and Sammi’s unconscious bodies.

All Ashore That’s Washed Ashore

A Red Colossus Stomps Across the Canyons of the Howling Red Rock (art by Angie G)

The group washed ashore on a pebbly beach of the Canyons of the Howling Red Rock. After gaining their barrings, Angie was able to figure out that the group was roughly two days East passed Undra.

The group rested for several days, regaining strength and needed HP before setting out towards the Great Spire.

Aside: For each day of travel I rolled a d6 and on a 5-6 there would be some sort of encounter. For both days I rolled a 6. I then rolled a d4, even would be an Encounter; odd would be Lay of the Land.

For the first day I rolled a Lay of the Land- a burnt out fort now occupied by Beastmen. The second day an Encounter (more on this next post).

After resting for a few days the group set out towards Undra, with Nate scouting ahead in the sky. In the distance Nate noticed smoke coming from a craggy canyon. Nate flew to the top of the canyon and looked down. He saw a ruined fort of burned wood, and saw figures moving, but could not make them out. He flew back to the group and relayed the info and they decided to investigate.

Tyler, an ex-sideshow freak, wanted to use his megaphone and have Angie turn into a bear and dance. However, the rest of the group decided that it would be more prudent to not die and send Kevin in to do some scouting.

Kevin found the brunt fort to be housed by savage hyena beastmen. The creatures scented him before he got really close and the fort doors opened and several beastmen spilled out, giving chase.

Kevin reemerged from the canyon screaming to run as 25 beastmen followed behind him. We ended the session with the group fleeing the beastmen, eventually giving them the slip after two hours of evasive maneuvers.

Info on Undra

The metropolis of Undra has been a work in progress for millennia, with artisans constantly delving out and shaping the monstrous 2,000’ high boulder in which the city was created. Most citizens of Undra do not know the history of when their great city was founded, nor do any of those who live throughout Hubris. That information is carefully guarded in the secret Halls of the Imprisoned Queen, which lies in the depths of the earth, below the very foundries and base of the city.

The warm weather of Undra is more hospitable and welcoming than the other areas of Hubris, allowing people to wear light flowing robes or togas, rather than bulky clothing for warmth.

The Grand Bazaar makes up roughly one quarter of Undra, almost reaching the top echelon of the spire. The bazaar sells almost anything one can imagine from around the world, and some things, merchants have even claimed, from worlds beyond.

The top level of Undra is home to the nobles, the Offices of the High Merchant who oversees the Grand Bazaar, the Royal Guard of the Setting Sun, and the Palace of the Searing Sun, where Queen Valandria rules her court. The people of Undra consider her a goddess of the sun as she is always first and last to be touched by its warmth on Hubris.

The poor live on the lower levels, mostly in Junk Town. These vagrants, lowlifes, and ne’er-do-wells sell illegal and discarded objects that they find in the refuse heaps that gather in their areas.

Undra has been at war with the Four Gorgons and their beastmen armies for 5 years.

Hubris has been out for a few weeks now as a PDF release and a few people have messaged me about what the book is about, what’s in it, etc. So I figured now would be a great time to answer a few of those questions

Aside: For those who have nabbed Hubris, thanks! I would love to hear your thoughts and reactions to the book!

Will Hubris be out on POD?

Yes it will. I am awaiting my proofs of the softcover versions of the book. They should arrive in the mail in the next week or so. Alex is finishing the last bits of formatting for the hardcover version and then I’ll get proofs for that as well.

Those that purchase the PDF now will receive a discount on the POD as if they purchased the bundle version.

What is Hubris about?

Hubris a weird fantasy setting that uses the Dungeon Crawl Classics rules. The book takes a rules-neutral approach to many aspects in the game (particularly the meat of the book which is the territories and the GM tables and charts).

The setting is grim, dark, gonzo, and often-times silly. I wrote the book to be hacked apart and used as a GM wants. The goal in mind was not to create a concrete setting full of tons of lore (that to me is often unimportant and not usable), but give the GM tools to make each Hubris unique and crazy. Or hell- just need a strange desert territory, a deadly jungle, or a blighted land? Well these are all ready made and easy to use from the get go!

*Four new classes- the Alchemist, the Blood Witch, the Druid, and the Shadowdancer.

*Five new races (as classes per DCC)- The Avarian (anthropomorphic bird person), the Ekrask (anthropomorphic lizard person), the Half Demon, the Murder Machine (a human that has been magically fused with a set of armor), and the Mutant (a being with several tables for cosmetic, power, and calamitous mutations).

*Three new spells- Furnishings of the Mad Wizard, Necrotic Mass, and Summon From the Void.

*Four Patrons (each with Invoke Patron and three spells):

The Charred Maiden– Spells- Lullaby, Souls of the Consumed, and Demonic Embrace

The Floating Island of Terror– Spells- Consume Nightmare, The Terrible Sanctuary, and The Corruption

The Spider Goddess– Spells- Summon Spider, Warrior of the Goddess, and Idol of the Spider

The Twisted One– Spells- Warts, Madness, and Shape Flesh

10 Territories (each with a d100 encounter and d100 lay of the land generator- You can see a sample of the layout of one from an old blog post here): The Blighted Sands, Bogwood Swamp, Canyons of the Howling Red Rock, Frozen Wastes, Great Plains of Unbidden Sorrow, Land of Perpetual Stone and Mire, Mountains That Crawl, Sea That Runs Red, Unsettled Expanse, and Weeping Forest of Forgotten Memories

*12 Strange and Terrible Deities (each with a new DCC mechanic for Clerics- Invoke the Name- calling upon the power of their god by speaking Its name).

Bailey– God of Trickery and Deceit

Corpulent One– God of Excess and Want

Digradia– Goddess of Shadows and Assassins

Drallic– Flayer of the Flesh and Deity of Eisenbar

God of the Terrible Whisper– God of knowledge and secrets

Great Slumbering Monolith– God of sleep and dreams

The Heathen Below– God of death, decay, and corruption

Set– the Serpentine god of the Klind- revels in depravity, degradation, and sexual deviance

The Stillborn Unwanted Child– Deity of kindness and healing

Vralkar– God to Ingvar and battle and bravery

Yelsa-Goddess of Sex and Violence

The Great Behemoth, Zxyldon– Monster god of the sea, lakes, and rivers

*2 adventures- a level zero funnel, It Came… FROM OUTER SPACE!!! and a level 1 adventure In Her Realm.

*51 new monsters of Hubris including several tables to generate random and unique Orcs, Metalphage, Fey, and Fallen Angels. And a table of objects to loot of their corpses and a table of Contamination From Demonic Contamination.

*28 New Magical Items

*14 Tables and Charts for a GM to use on the fly- generate towns and villages, inns and taverns, planes of existence, plants and herbs, and much more!

Yes- I am nearly finished with the first draft of a 3rd level Hubris adventure and have notes for a Hubris supplement (all of which will follow my mantra of keeping fluff light and usable at the table and fun and random). I’m also working on the possibility of a comic book!

Hubris is quite possibly the best D&D book ever. It is just so inspiring, but most importantly it’s usable, it’s hackable, it’s fast, it’s fun. It’s exactly the kind of stuff I want when I sit down to do a session prep and I don’t have a lot of time. Basically it’s what all D&D books should be and now that I have it I can’t imagine not using it.

This is by far the best value out of any DCC product that I have ever bought. The setting is great, and very dark. There are TONS of charts in here that can be used to populate the settings or even just drop into your own campaign. The bestiary even includes a ton of charts so you can make all your monsters uniquie. Very highly recomended book. I’ve never reviewed anything on DriveThru before because I’ve never found anything this good.

Just downloaded my Kickstarter PDF of HUBRIS. Dang. This might be the one that pushes me into DCC-land. My players have been mightily resilient when I have suggested some DCC, but this might do it. Otherwise, the material will sneak its way into my Blood & Treasure or Castles & Crusades game. Well done, man with the mighty finger! +Mike Evans

Even if you don’t play Dungeon Crawl Classics, this is a fun setting book by +Mike Evans. Dozens of random tables to use or just give you inspiration. Not just boring text about gods and wars and people from 3000 years ago – actual stuff a GM may want to put into their game.

DEADLY AIM: If the Assassin has a sniper rifle (laser or ballistic) and does nothing but aim at a target for three rounds, their shot is deadly accurate. If the Assassin attack lands, the target is killed instantly. If the attack misses, the Assassin’s attack is still considered a success and deals 2d6+the Assassin’s level damage.

DEADLY STRIKE: If the Assassin has a small blade (either a dagger or mono-dagger), studies a target for three rounds, and successfully sneaks up on a target their attack is deadly accurate. If the Assassin attack lands, the target is killed instantly. If the attack misses, the Assassin’s attack is still considered a success and deals 2d6+the Assassin’s level damage.

HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT: Assassins are highly trained in hand-to-hand combat and deal weapon damage with their fists.

Network (4th): The Assassin is part of a complex network of Spies, Informants, and Fences. Once per session an Assassin can contact a person for a piece of information, attempt to find supplies, find a job (or kill contract), etc. The GM will determine the availability of such things.

Leveling Up:

Roll all Attributes to see if they increase, roll twice for DEX or WIS

DEADLY AIM: If the Scout has a laser rifle (laser or ballistic) and does nothing but aim at a target for 2 rounds their shot is extremely accurate. The Scout automatically hits and deals 2d6+the Scout’s level damage.

RUGGED SURVIVALIST: A Scout knows how to survive and fight in nature. Any type of task that is nature related falls into the realm of the Scout. This can be from climbing impossible looking cliffs, building, finding, or disabling simple natural traps, camouflaging and hiding in the brush, moving silently, being able to survive and find food and shelter, and knowledge of herbs and fauna to use to treat most natural poisons and toxins. Depending on what activity the Scout is attempting will determine which Attribute is being rolled, which will be made with Advantage. When finding food a Scout can find it in half the time a normal individual would take.

KEEN OBSERVER: Scouts roll WIS tests with Advantage when attempting to spot a creature in hiding or on saves to discover a creature/enemy attempting to sneak up on them.

UNHINDERED MOVEMENT: Scouts have learned how to maneuver in natural obstructions like craggy hills, thick underbrush, etc. A Scout’s movement is unimpeded when moving in any of these type of terrains.

SCOUT MASTER (4th): When a Scout reaches 4th level they have established a company of fellow scouts that are exploring or infiltrating other worlds. These scouts can be called for aid at any time (although how long it will take them to arrive is up to the GM). The scouts can also give information to the PC about a world the characters are traveling to, giving them intimate knowledge about the place. The scouts may contact their leader from time to time with interesting locations and plot hooks that have come their way.

Leveling Up:

Roll all Attributes to see if they increase, roll twice for DEX or WIS

Today I’m posting the Bionic Soldier, The Mercenary, and The Scoundrel classes.

Bionic Soldier (Cyber-Hacked Street Meat altered)

Starting HP: 1d8+4

Hit Points Per Level/Resting: 1d8 HP/lvl

Weapon and Armor: Any and All

Weapon Damage: 1d8/1d6 Unarmed or Improvised

SPECIAL FEATURES

ONLY A SCRATCH: Once per combat a Bionic Soldier can state that an attack just glanced off their cyberware, doing no damage. This ability cannot be used in the case of an enemy scoring a critical attack.

COMBAT READY: As part of their action a Bionic Soldier can make one attack per every third level.

MORE MACHINE NOW THAN MAN: A Bionic can have a max of five pieces of cyberware instead of the normal 4. Start with three pieces of Cyberware at 1st level. One piece of cyberware is cybernetic arms.

CYBER-DOC (4th): The Bionic Soldier has established a rapport with a doctor that specializes in cybernetic medicine (probably because of all the credits the Bionic Soldier has thrown at the doctor). The Cyber-Doc is treated as a level 3 contact and once per session the Bionic Soldier can call on the Cyber-Doc (if they are nearby) for needed healing or cybernetic repair. If the Cyber-Doc is able to reach the Bionic Soldier in a realistic amount of time, they will do so. The Cyber-Doc is able to heal 3d6 HP and fix one broken piece of cyberware in an 8 hour period or heal 2d6 HP and fix no cyberware in a 2 hour period (player’s choice).

Leveling Up:

Roll all Attributes to see if they increase, roll twice for STR and DEX

RESERVES: Once per hour, while in combat, a Mercenary can regain 1d10 HP.

ROCK ‘N ROLL: As part of their action a Mercenary may make 1 attack per odd level. Additionally a Mercenary does not suffer the +2 to their attack roll when using two handed weapons, but still gains the +2 to damage.

STOUT: A Mercenary has Advantage on tests against Poisons and Fear Effects.

ESTABLISH STRONGHOLD (9th): At 9th level, a Mercenary character who chooses to build a planetary stronghold or space station may attract a body of loyal soldiers who will serve as her personal strike force or specialized commando team.

Leveling Up:

Roll all Attributes to see if they increase, roll twice for STR and DEX

I SHOT FIRST: Right before combat begins the Scoundrel makes a Luck roll. If the result favors the Scoundrel they are able to get off a free shot at a target before initiative is rolled (only with a one-handed firearm or laser pistol).

I CALL IT LUCK: Once per session a Scoundrel can test their luck. A Scoundrel can turn a failed roll into a success.

UNTRUSTWORTHY: If a Scoundrel attempts a sneak attack they make the roll with Advantage. If the attack is successful it deals 2d6/2d4+the Scoundrel’s level damage.

CRIME LORD (4th): When a Scoundrel reaches 4th level they are able to establish their own crime ring. The crime lord attracts unsavory cohorts who will follow his lead and serve loyally (if the price and rewards are right) as shakedown artists, smugglers, confidence men, etc. Each month of in game time, roll 3d6 x 25- this is the amount of credits the Scoundrel receives from their crime ring.

Leveling Up:

Roll all Attributes to see if they increase, roll twice for DEX or CHR

Yesterday we kicked off my Star Wars game using the Black Hack rules. We had made our character prior to starting so we could jump right into the action. For the classes I used a mix of ones from my Black Hack: Cyber-Hacked and I converted classes from my Starrunner Kit as well.

(Aside: I also used the Starrunner Kit to generate this whole sector of space and the planets and got to try my Cyber-Hacked hacking rules again and still really am pleased with them.)

Premise

The game starts roughly 5 months after the destruction of the first Death Star. The empire has placed blame on the destruction of Alderaan on the Rebel Alliance and has begun clamping down on all systems, justifying it as “protection from the terrorists and their kind.” Aliens are treated even more harshly and civil liberties and planetary government control are being stripped away.

The group is a band of smugglers/treasure hunters/bounty hunters. They travel throughout the galaxy and Phynol Sector taking jobs as they can.

At the start of the campaign the Empire does not have a strong presence in the Phynol Sector. The head of the House of Stars on Phynol Prime, who is a supporter of the Empire and its presence, has allowed a base of operations to be built near the capital. The Empire arrived in the sector roughly over a year ago. There are two cruisers in the sector (roughly 10 Tie Fighters), two AT-STs, about 100 Storm Troopers, a few officers, and an Admiral Valeese, who oversees it all.

The Phynol Sector is an area of space that is difficult to get to due to a dense asteroid field that requires patience and meticulous hyperspace coordinates. There are six worlds, five of which are ruled by a House and a space station owned by Obsidian Industries that guards its corporate interests and harvests the asteroids for minerals.

At the end of this sector is a dense nebula that emits electrical discharges- very few are foolish enough to use it for cover, etc. Harvesting the gases of the nebula are profitable and the Houses and Obsidian Industries send in droid collectors as well as small manned expeditions to gather the gases.

The group run on a ship called The Eye of the Storm or “The Eye” for short. The players had voted they’d rather have a NPC captain rather than one of them taking on the role, so the ship is owned by a grizzled, old human merc by the name of Ty’ven Ross and his daughter Elliana, who pilots the ship.

The Eye of the Storm (actually the Ezra from Dark Matter)

The Players

John- Rodian Assassin

Liam- Twi’lek Bionic Soldier

Gene- Human Scoundrel

Nate- Human Tech Specialist

Trouble From the Start

The group had been hired to find wanted bandit named Volnick Anders, a human that stole thousands of credits from a bank on Phynol Prime and killed several P-Sec officers (P-Sec is the official law of the Phynol Sector. The mark had been able to escape and was hiding out near Hutt Space, picking up smuggling jobs.

Clues and rumors had lead the crew to a small moon around an uninhabited planet, where a band of pirates had set up a base to stage runs. The band was ran by a thuggish Rodian smuggler named Tesna.

The session started with the group going through the front door (what could go wrong with that, right?!). Liam’s character nearly had his had blasted off by one of two thugs that were relaxing on the first floor. An alarm began ringing through the small prefabricated and fiber-plastic structure.

Liam moved into the room, and John quickly followed, blasting at the two thugs, and Gene shooting from partial cover of the doorway. Liam took down one thug, but the other caught John in the chest, the bolt burning through his armor and searing his flesh.

After the two thugs were dealt with, Gene dressed in the clothes of one of them and ran upstairs, and headed north, opening a door right in front of him. He found himself staring into the barrels of two blaster pistols. He shouted, “there are men down there! They killed one of us! I barely got away!”

His ruse worked and the two men made for the stairwell. Gene shot one of the thugs in the back with a critical success, burning a huge hole in his chest. The other thugs wheeled around and got a pot shot off at Gene, but missed. John, Liam, and Nate ran up the stairs and fired at the thug, hitting, but not dropping him. Another door in the hallway opened and a thug wielding a blaster rifle opened fire on John, nicking him. The fight lasted a few more rounds before the thugs were dropped and looted.

Gene decides to try his luck again with the ruse on the next floor, but this time the bandits didn’t buy it. Two droids and a human thug fired at Gene, two of them hitting him, lighting him up like a Christmas Tree, and sent him tumbling back down the stairs. Liam threw a frag grenade up the stairs. The explosion shook the house and killed the thug and one of the droids. The fight between the last droid and the group took some time and John took a few more unlucky shots, but eventually the droid was dropped.

The Pirate Thugs lair. I found the map online and just threw this together

For the fourth and final floor, Gene decided to attempt his ruse one more time (especially as they saw that whoever was upstairs had barricaded the stairwell and two human thugs with carbines were positioned as guards). Gene started running up the stairs with John shooting at him (to sell the ruse, of course). The thugs let Gene through the barricade while returning fire at John, but missing. Gene looked around the room and saw a harassed Rodian and next to him, another battle droid.

Gene walked over to Tesna and then attempted to grab the blaster out of the droid’s hand, however the droid’s strength proved to be too great and Gene merely tugged ineffectually at it. The droid’s voice cracked, “Intruder! Intruder!” Tesna swore in Huttese and took a shot at Gene, seriously injuring him.

Liam charged up the stairs and used the enhanced strength of his cybernetic arms to push the table barricading the stairs back against the wall, knocking the two thugs prone. John and Nate followed and then began shooting at the droid and Tesna.

Ty’ven’s voice came in on their communicators, “What the hell is going on down there?! A shuttle just blasted off from the roof and I’m guessing our mark is in it! The Eye will be there in one minute. Get your asses up there or we’re leaving without you!”

Liam hopped over the battered barricade and throat stomped a stunned thug, instantly killing him. The concentrated attacks from John and Gene took out the overwhelmed Rodian and battle droid, while Nate slung his blaster rifle over the table and fragged the other prone thug.

The group quickly looted the room and made their way to the roof.

Chasin’ Through Space!

The group hoped into The Eye of the Storm and blasted off into space after the shuttle craft with their mark on board.

Ty’ven’s voice issued over the loud speaker, “Alright! We need to take this guy ALIVE. I need two of you to man the guns. Nate, see if you can hack into the shuttle’s life support system and shut it down.”

John and Liam manned the guns while Gene went to the med bay to see if you could find a medstim and Nate began running his program to hack the shuttle’s system.

During the fight, I had Gene rolling for Elliana, the NPC pilot, and he was able to keep up with the shuttle’s evasive maneuvers. Liam scored a direct hit on the shuttle’s weapons, and John scored a hit on the shuttle’s engines. The ship drifted lazily as the Eye came upon it, pulling it into the cargo bay with its tractor beam.

Nate then hacked the shuttle’s life support system and I got to use the hacking rules I came up with in Cyber-hacked. It was great quick fun and Nate enjoyed it. He nearly was ejected from the system as his hacking usage die had gone from a d10 to a d4.

Here is the hacking map. Drop dice and consult the book for the results. Each round the hacker must make an Int test to successfully move on to the next “node.” Each round, roll a Usage Die. This represents the computer firewall defending against the hacker.

Eventually Nate was able to hack into the life support and shut it down. The crew waiting for the mark to pass out due to lack of oxygen. They rounded up their mark and threw him in the holding cell.

With the nav-coordinates set, the ship entered light speed for the 9 hour journey to the Phynol Sector. Most of the crew used the time to sleep and regain some HP.

We fast-forwarded the group turning in the mark to on the P-Sec space station and getting their reward (100 credits each (10% of the 1,000 credit take).

The End of the Session

We ended with The Eye docking at the spaceport on Phynol Prime and heading to Undertown, which exists in the catacombs of the city capital. It is where all the downtrodden and poor go on this lush and beautiful world.

The group went to their old haunt, a rundown bar called The Fried Mon Cal run by an old Mon Calamari smuggler named, Gr’ack Vin. Vin greeted the group with a smile as they sidled up to the bar, ready for some drinks and putting their ear to the ground for more work.

We leveled up to 2nd level and will pick up in two weeks with the group exploring Undertown and going where the wind blows them.